Charlie Chan a Panama

This is an extremely timely Charlie Chan movie as although the US was not yet at war, storm clouds were on the horizon and this film anticipated the importance of the Panama Canal to the future. Although the film never said that the Germans were planning on blowing up the canal, that's exactly what was very strongly implied--with a vicious foreign agent named 'Ryner'. The problem is that Chan and the military authorities have no idea what this agent looks like as well as exactly what this enemy agent's intentions are as well as how they'll go about doing it. So it's up to Chan and #2 Son to investigate.

This film is better than average for the Fox version of Charlie Chan. Mostly this is due to the timeliness, the use of non-grainy and relevant stock footage as well as a dandy plot and mystery. It keeps you guessing up until the end--and I liked this very much.

Sidney Toler did really well in this outing as Detective Charlie Chan, undercover in Panama City in order to help the U. S. Government capture spies. Since one of Charlie Chan's signature parts of his outfit is his Panama Hat, it was only logical that his cover be as a proprietor of a Panama Hat shop.

As in most Chan movies, we see very atmospheric locales, many shady characters, and Chan, ever calm, solving the mystery. Lionel Atwill is a part of the shady cast and does a great job. Victor Sen-Yung who plays #2 son, Jimmy will be a familiar face to TV watchers, he played Hop Sing the Chinese cook on Bonanza for years. He does a great job here as the over eager son who wants to help Charlie but usually ends up in the way. He does provide good comic relief in this story.

All in all, a good entry in the Chan series. The solution to the mystery is a little clearer than it often is in this series, many times with Charlie Chan films when he explains the solution at the end, you just have to throw up your hands and trust that Charlie knows what he is talking about, it isn't always very clear. The telling of the story makes sense, making this a good introduction to the series if you are new at it.

Recommended!!!

Disguised as humble Chinese hatter 'Fu Yuen', Charlie Chan assists the Secret Service way down in Panama, close to that so very important, narrow and vulnerable pathway between North and South America: the Panama Canal. And there are indications that there will be great danger for the US Fleet that is bound to pass through the Canal the next day: the dangerous international spy known only as "Ryner" probably is on the spot and planning something catastrophic - connected with anything from rats infected with bubonic plague to containers filled with nitroglycerin...!

Charlie very soon closes in on Ryner: he must have been on board the small airplane that takes passengers across the Canal, because one of his colleagues, who was also on the plane, dies right in Charlie's shop while they're discussing the case from a poisoned cigarette - but his cigarettes had been perfectly alright before he and the other passengers boarded the plane... And so we've got a shady night club owner, a young European fugitive singer without a passport, a strange scientist, an elderly lady teacher, an Egyptian who owns a tobacco shop - but Ryner's VERY clever, so Charlie (aided by son Jimmy even down in Panama - because while the cruise ship he was working on was stopping near the Canal, he took some photos of the forbidden military zone and ended up in jail...) has got to employ ALL his wits and cunningness in order to uncover him and save the US Fleet...

Another very nice piece of mystery entertainment, murder mixed with espionage this time - a GREAT challenge for fans who like to follow the story and find out the culprit even before the detective does; because in this case, for those who pay attention, it IS possible! Besides that, the Latin American atmosphere is very nice (it was hugely popular at the time), and the cast is great, so the movie flows very smoothly - but not without some sudden shock effects in between, of course... A great B movie classic, VERY worth watching.

Among the war propaganda motion pictures made during the II World War, "Charlie Chan in Panama" is one of the best, and a fine entry in the Charlie Chan series, with Sidney Toler in the leading role. It is a likable and very amusing recreation of Panamá in the 1940s (and I may say rather accurate), with the Canal Zone US military bases, the swinging life of night clubs in the city of Panamá, the seedy port "cantinas" in the colonial section of the city, its Chinatown section, and the characteristic presence of people from all over the world, a trait still present today. Chan does not disappoint, as he works for the US Armed Forces and tries to discover who is trying to destroy the Panama Canal. A remake of "Marie Galante", much better than the original.

Although made before the U.S. had entered World War II, this one feels totally like a World War II picture. Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) goes undercover in Panama to root out a saboteur (and murderer) known as Ryner. Exceptionally good supporting cast, solid plot, and tense direction make this one of the better Toler Chan films. Victor Sen Yung is back as "Number Two Son" Jimmy Chan and is fun as always. His comical antics are dialed back a bit here to make room for the sabotage story, which is treated with the utmost seriousness. Lionel Atwill, Addison Richards, Jean Rogers, Mary Nash, and Jack La Rue are all very good. Interesting that Charlie doesn't show up until ten minutes into the movie. Good story and the saboteur's identity was a genuine surprise to me. Definitely a Charlie Chan film I would recommend.